


Something To Protect

by Wizzy



Series: In This Life Or In Another... I'll Always Love You [1]
Category: Hakuouki
Genre: Childhood Friends, F/M, Twins, protector - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-30
Updated: 2015-12-30
Packaged: 2018-04-24 04:17:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 7,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4905163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wizzy/pseuds/Wizzy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mitsuru's life is dedicated to one thing and one thing only: protecting the twin siblings of a childhood friend. When protect the twins from people attacking the village, one of the people trying to help the village mistakes Mitsuru for one those attacking the village and helping a criminal to escape. Little do these two know, this one fight is just the beginning of everything.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Fire In His Eyes

“I'm heading out, you remember what I told you?”

Kazuto and Yukina nodded as the male twin repeated my instructions. “Do not leave this room. If anyone attacks the town, lock ourselves in the room and wait for you to come get us. Don't open the door under any circumstances.”

I smiled at them. The three of us have been together for so many years now. Ever since our village was destroyed years ago, leaving us as the only survivors, I've looked after these young children. There older brother had been a very dear friend of mine, so I'd felt like it was my duty to care for them. I even went so far as to teach myself to wield a sword, practicing until I was as powerful as a samurai, just so that I could protect them.

 

I heard the fighting before I'd even arrived at my destination. Only halfway across the town and there was already trouble. Though the town had been quite restless lately, so I'd been expecting it to be attacked. I didn't expect that it would happen so quickly though...

Without any hesitation, I took off. The safety of the twins came before anything, even my own life.

“Mitsuru!” I heard someone calling after me as I ran. I recognized him as one of the shopkeepers in town, but his name escaped me. I never cared to remember anyone but the faces of the men who had destroyed my home. “I need your help now!”

“I have to get to the twins!” I shouted back at the man as I ran off towards the place they were supposed to stay.

“We'll go that direction, just don't let these guys get me!”

“My sword only belongs to those two children! Find someone else!” I growled back at him while he trailed after me. But despite my rejection, he followed right behind me. Soon enough, I was being chased by a small group of samurai. Or I at least assumed they were.

Luckily I was at least able to keep a distance between us until I reached the door to the twins' room. Spinning around quickly and drawing my katana, I prepared myself for what was to happen. The shopkeeper had disappeared just before my pursuers entered the room where stood, ready for battle.

The one I figured was the leader of the small pack glanced around before his eyes settled on the door to the twins' hiding place. Without taking my eyes off them for a second, I stepped between them and the door. They could not be allowed to get to Kazuto and Yukina.

“Move aside boy and we will let you leave,” one of the men shouted at me.

As if I'd actually listen to them. These were the guys attacking the place. “Never!” I hissed back at them. I raised my katana, but I didn't make any moves to attack. No, I did not intended to attack them; I merely wanted to defend the children.

“We will be getting through there.” It was the leader that spoke this time, pointing a spear at me. Neither side made any moves to strike.

“Over my dead body!”

Seeing that words would never get through to me, the group attacked all at once. Even if there were only three of them, that still left me outnumbered. Every bit of training I'd put myself through was now being put to the test.

But even as good as I was, I didn't stand much of a chance. Not when I had to be on the defensive. If I didn't have to protect the twins... if I didn't have to stay between them and this door... maybe then I would have had a chance.

Every strike they made, I blocked and the returned only to have them block it. After awhile, several of their attacks slipped through, leaving me with many minor scratches. But even then, I couldn't get past the three of them. Soon, the wounds became much deeper. My body was threatening to collapse on me at any second, but I kept fighting. Better to die protecting something you love rather than life the rest of your life as a coward.

Until the end, I would fight my hardest. I will protect the twins or die trying.

 

_(???'s POV)_

As we'd fought with the boy, I felt something from him. He was fighting with all of his heart. To him, this was something worth protecting. I could see it in his eyes.

That look... such a fire in his eyes... This boy would never have just given up. He would die protecting this door if he had to. Why did such a strong-willed youth have to be our enemy? Why couldn't he have been on our side? We were the ones with the noble cause, yet his fiery determination had rivaled our own.

“Don't... you... hurt... the...” Before he could even finish speaking, the boy collapsed on the floor. The moment his body hit the ground, the door he'd been guarding burst open. But what we saw wasn't what we expected. Two young kids came running out of the room to the fallen boy's side. “Big Sis!” the little girl cried out, shaking the older boy's arm. The man we'd chased here was nowhere to be found and that room had no other exits.

The younger boy looked back at us. The look on his face was one of pure hatred. “What have you done to our sister?” The little one knelt down and grabbed the older boy's shorter sword and pointed it straight at me. “You jerks!”

I wasn't about to fight with a child. What honor is there in defeating a helpless child in battle? But I couldn't just stand here and let him attack me. Every strike he made, I blocked or dodged as he cursed at me. All the while, my companions watched silently while the child cursed at me and swore that I would die for the young man's death.

_Since when does a child know such foul words?_


	2. The Day The Village Burned

_(Mitsuru's POV)_

Our village... it was always so peaceful... But now that peace is gone along with that village.

The day everything was destroyed... I'll never forget it.

 

“Mitsuru!” a pair of voices called out to me as two young children came running up to me.

“Good morning you two,” I said with a smile. Kazuto and Yukina Sata... the two were twin brother and sister. They had just turned six then. I was just barely fifteen. “Don't tell me you're trying to hide from Takeshi again?”

“Nope!” Yukina's bright and cheery voice said as she spun around in a circle. “We wanted to ask you something!”

Before I had a chance to ask, a familiar voice beat me to it. “Oh? What might that be?”

“Hello, Takeshi,” I said to my childhood friend. He slowly approached me and his twin siblings. “On patrol again today?”

“HEY!” little Kazuto shouted at us, reminding me that the twins said they'd had a question.

Takeshi and I laughed. “Sorry children. What were you going to ask?”

The twins moved to stand next to each other and asked the question at the same time. “Are you going to marry Takeshi?”

The question caught me off guard. “Well... I... that is...”

Luckily, Takeshi saved me from having to answer such an awkward question. “I haven't even asked her yet.” Realizing what he'd just said, his face tinted pink. “I mean... Mitsuru and I are only friends! Even though she is a very lovely girl, she is my friend and likely does not want to be anything more than that!”

“Aww!” the two protested. “We wanted Mitsuru to be our big sister!”

After sending the twins back home that morning, Takeshi informed me that he would be leaving to train for a few years. Since childhood, he'd dreamed of becoming a samurai. Now he was finally getting his chance. Little did I know, that would be the last time I would see him.

 

The attack on the village happened that evening, just hours after Takeshi had left us. Without him, we almost defenseless against the small hoard. He was the best fighter we had and now he was gone.

The village was helpless. Within minutes, half of our people were slain. Within an hour, all but the twins and myself were killed. Desperate to survive, the three of us ran, eventually taking shelter in an abandoned shrine. But there was no way for us to escape.

We were cornered. I stood between our attackers and the two children. Even though I knew nothing about combat, I could try to buy the twins enough time to escape. But the attempts I made were all in vain. We were captured. Prisoners.

One of the men grabbed my arm and threw me backwards onto the ground. “You're a pretty one. Maybe the boss will let us keep you.”

It wasn't hard to guess the things they might do. A bunch of men who destroy entire villages for fun? You really don't want anything to do with them... All they do is cause pain... and not just the physical kind.

“Kazuto, Yukina.” My voice was shaking as I spoke with my back to the twins. “I want you to close your eyes. Whatever happens, don't open them. No matter what you hear, don't look until I say it's okay...” I never told them, but the reason I told them not to look then was because I wanted to protect them from everything that would happen after that.


	3. The Man With The Spear

I hadn't been expecting to wake up. No, I'd been certain that I was going to die. But I was most definitely not dead.

The room I woke up in was a strange one. Sitting up slowly, I glanced about. The room was empty except for the bed that I lay on. My katanas were nowhere in sight. _Captured by the enemy?_

Every one of my wounds were bandaged, so these people must want me alive. They took my swords though, so they are not likely very friendly. There didn't seem to be any sort of guard though. Just who brought me here and what side are they on? Whatever the answer, staying here was risky.

After some struggling, I managed to make it to my feet. My wounds weren't even close to healed, but sitting around wasn't an option for me. Silently slipping out the door, I kept myself out of sight.

As I was sneaking around, I made plan in my mind.  _Find a sword. Escape this place. Find the twins. Get as far away as possible. Then rest and recover._ It may seem wrong to have healing as the last thing on my list, but right now that wasn't important.  _I will not sit around and wait for my death to come to me._

Something about this place seemed too quiet. When I found a sword just carelessly laying around, I felt even more suspicious. But right now, I didn't have any real options here. It was escape or die. To escape, I would need a weapon.

With my new sword, I began to search for the exit to this place. After awhile it felt like I was only going in circles. Everything looked the same in this place...

“It's not very wise to be running around in your condition,” a voice behind me called out. Without thinking, I spun around and drew my sword. While doing so, I pulled at one of my more severe wounds, making me flinch in pain and almost drop my sword. “If you push yourself too hard, you'll never recover.”

Looking him over, the source of the voice was the same man I'd fought with before. A red-headed man who fought with a spear.

Anger flared up inside me. “You stay back!” I hissed at him, holding my sword in a defensive position. He didn't have his spear with him, but I could see a sword at his side. “What have you done with the twins?”

“I have done nothing.”

Somehow, that answer just angered me more. “Liar!” Using what little strength I had left, I attacked the red-headed man.

Had I been at full strength, I would have at least been a challenge. But this? Right now I was just a pest to him. An annoying little bug that seemed to have a death wish. But as easy as it would be for him to kill me right this second, he wasn't even trying. It was almost as if he were just playing with me.

As was about to lunge at him again, a pain shot through my body. I took a few steps back, gripping my injured side. If I weren't careful, I might rip the wound open again. That is, if it hasn't ripped open already.

“Damn... Just hang in there a bit longer...” I told my body, though I seriously doubted it would hold out much longer. Regardless, I prepared to attack again.

“You're a stubborn one. Even with your body begging you to stop, you still come at me with all you've got.”

“Shut that damned mouth of yours!” I shouted at the red-haired man as I saw a few people standing around and watching the very one-sided fight. I struck at him, but he blocked it effortlessly. “Quit playing with me! If you're just going to keep this up until I collapse then just kill me already!”

I was getting worn out. My vision was blurring. There was no way I could do any damage to him. Not with the condition I was in. No doubt my wounds had been ripped back open and I was losing a lot of blood quickly.

Frustrated, I threw the katana at him. Red Head didn't even have to do anything; it missed him by a lot. Defeated, I fell to my knees. “Even after all that training... I'm still just as weak as I was that day...” I mumbled to myself as I started to fall forward.

Before I could hit the ground, someone caught me. Glancing up, I met the face of the red-haired man. “Don't... touch... me...” Pushing him away, I could barely get the words out. “Filthy murderer...”

But even after pushing him away, I still felt someone catch me as I fell to the ground and everything faded to black.


	4. Escape & Rescue

_(???'s POV)_

“Quite a stubborn one,” I said to myself as I lifted up the injured boy. With the way he'd fought the first time, I had expected he'd fight with me again if given the chance, regardless of his condition. But I hadn't expecting him to be so fired up so soon.

“I don't think 'stubborn' is the word you're looking for, ” one of my companions, Shinpachi, said.

“More like stupid.”

“Reckless.”

Everyone who witnessed the boy's attack had a different word for him. As expected, none of them were really good words. But I ignored what the others were saying and merely returned him to the room he's just escaped from.

After we'd fought the first time and he'd collapsed, two children came right to his side. The boy was clearly too young to be a parent, so I assumed he was a sibling.  _“Big Sis!”_ Their voices echoed in my head.

Wait a minute...  _Sis?_

A chill ran down my spine.  _A girl pretending to be a man?_ It was a possibility. After all, Chizuru had pretended to be a man so that she could search for her father. If the kid was dressing as a boy to protect those two children, everything made sense.

“I wonder...” As I set the “boy” down in the room we'd had him in before, I wondered if I should investigate my suspicions. Though there wasn't any real way to confirm it, not without looking or touching something that I really shouldn't. But when treating the wounds, someone would have had to have found out for certain.

I knelt next to the unconscious body. Carefully I tilted the “boy's” head from side to side, looking at the face closely. Sure enough, the kid had a feminine face when you looked at it is close enough.

“Well now, a girl are you?” Even if I couldn't tell for sure, I was certain this boy was really a girl.

As I stood up to leave, there was a lot of noise coming from outside.

 

_(Kazuto's POV)_

_Big Sis... I'm coming to rescue you!_

Those men she'd fought with before had taken her with them when they found out that she was still alive. I had no idea what they could want with Big Sis, but I wasn't going to just let them take her. Even though I wasn't good with any sort of weapon and I hadn't stood a chance against them the last time, I had to try.

As long as I had Sis's short sword, I felt like I could do this. With my weapon drawn and ready for a fight, I charged into the enemy's headquarters. The moment I was inside, I was met by several enemy warriors. None of them were the ones who hurt Big Sis, so I didn't intend to fight with them if I didn't have to. That was the way Sis always fought.  _Never fight a battle that has no reason behind it._

No one made much of an effort to hurt me, but a couple of them still attacked me. After awhile, they all backed off and looked over at something to my left. Or rather,  _someone_.

Standing there were three men. In the middle was a scary looking dark-haired man. To his left was a brown haired boy that looked about the same age as Big Sis. I didn't know either of them. But the man standing to his right, that man I knew.

My body trembled with rage. That hair... the face... that spear... The was no doubt in my mind: he was the one who had wounded and kidnapped Big Sis!

With my sword pointed right at him, I quickly forgot all about everyone else around me. “You! What did you do with Big Sis?”

All around me, I could hear the others whispering to each other. “It seems the little one is just like that kid,” one of them said.

No one was answering me. “Where is my sister?” I demanded, trying to act tough.

My question was answered with more pointless whispers. “You think he means that kid Harada brought here?”

“Hey!” I shouted, watching Sis's attacker turn his back to me. “Don't walk away from me!”

As I started to run at him, he glanced back at me. “You want to see her, don't you?”

I froze. Was this some sort of trick? The man motioned for me to follow, but could he really be trusted? I looked at everyone else surrounding me; every one of them was watching me, waiting for me to make some sort of move.

After some thought I lowered my sword, but still kept it out, and ran to catch up to the red haired man. At the very least, he could show me where she is. And from there, I could rescue her.


	5. Straightening Things Out

_(Mitsuru's POV)_

I'd never expected to wake up after that first encounter with him; I certainly didn't expect to wake up after the second time. Although, this time was noticeably different that the last.

As I opened my eyes, a familiar face greeted me. “Big Sis!” Kazuto was sitting there, waiting for me to wake up.

“Kazuto?” For a moment, I thought I was dreaming. But the second he hugged me, I knew that this was real. “You're alright!” Seeing that he was safe made me want cry tears of joy. Suddenly remembering everything else that happened, I got myself under control and looked about the room.  _Exactly the same room I'd been in before..._

“You're awake.” The voice that spoke was unfamiliar to me. On instinct, I spun around and reached for my sword at my waist. Only there was no sword there. Glaring up at the stranger, I realized who it was: the man who I'd fought with twice and lost. Seeing the look on my face, he held up his hands defensively. So now he doesn't want to fight? A bit late to be deciding that, don't you think? “Relax, I have no reason to be fighting with you.”

I didn't believe that, not even for a second. Just what did he want from me? “Then why have you been keeping me alive? Any idiot could tell you that I know nothing that would be of any value to you.” As I spoke, I didn't take my eyes off the red-haired man for even half a second. I didn't even blink. “Just what the hell do you want? I've already lost my home because of people like you once before. Probably twice now, right? After all, you're the one who attacked the town.”

He was stunned. “The Shinsengumi were the ones protecting the town. Weren't you working with the rogue samurai that were attacking the place?”

Now it was my turn to be shocked. If he wasn't... “Wait... you mean I almost died because of some stupid mistake  _you_ made?” I didn't know whether to be angry or confused.

“Big Sis has only ever been protecting us,” Kazuto said, trying to help explain things. “She doesn't even bother to remember your face or your name unless she thinks you're a threat to us.”

The red-haired man thought a moment. “So tell me, why is it that a young woman like yourself is disguised as a man?”

I froze. He'd figured it out. When did he find out? Right now I was certain there was a look of pure terror on my face. If he'd noticed it while I was out... Just that thought alone was terrifying. “Don't worry, no one did anything,” he said with a gentle smile. “What is your name, little one?”

“Mitsuru Kizukata.”

“I'm Kazuto Sata,” the little boy next to me said, jumping into the conversation. “Don't you be making a move on Big Sis here, because she's promised to my big brother Takeshi.” It was sweet of him to be concerned for me, but what he said wasn't actually true.

“Kazuto...” I sighed. “We don't even know if he's even alive. And I don't recall ever telling him that I would marry him.”

“Well me and Yukina want you to marry Takeshi and really be our big sister!”

“Persistent little one, isn't he?” the red-haired man laughed. “I am Sanosuke Harada.”

“Well, Harada, I think it's your turn to explain things.” I hadn't actually answered his question, though I wasn't about to point that out. The less this man knew, the better. He nodded and I asked my questions. “Just who are you and why did you bring me back here when you could have just left me to die?”

Harada thought a moment before speaking. “We fought because of a misunderstanding on my part, so I felt like it was my responsibility to make things right. As a captain of the Shinsengumi, an error like that is simply unforgivable.”

“Shinsengumi?” I heard Kazuto shout out beside me. Didn't he know that before he came here? Even better question, just what was this Shinsengumi?

Harada only laughed. “You mean you didn't know that already?”

Before anyone had a chance to speak, two others stepped into the room. “You're telling me the kid came busting in here acting like he would take on every single one of us, without having a single clue as to who we were?”


	6. Their Past

“Well, he is just a kid, Shinpachi,” Harada said to the man who had spoken. He was fairly tall, with reddish-brown hair and a lot of muscle. Noticeably more than anyone I could recall seeing. Though I don't really remember people often, so that's really not saying much.

“So the kid was looking for the guy you brought back here?” the shorter one thought out loud. He was a brown-haired boy about my age or younger with a very long ponytail. “But why was he yelling about you doing something with his sister?”

“Kazuto...” I scolded him. “You know why I've been pretending to be a boy, don't you?” The kid silently nodded. “Then why would you constantly risk ruining my cover by calling me your sister so carelessly?”

I hadn't exactly been yelling, but my voice was definitely scary. It even appeared to startle the three men around us. “I'm sorry Big Sis!” the little boy cried out, bowing in apology.

Harada laughed. “So just why are you dressing as a man?”

That was a question I'd hoped to avoid answering. I sighed and began to explain. “I came from a small village near Edo. A few years ago, we were attacked and the entire village was destroyed. Kazuto, Yukina and I were the only ones to survive.”

“Some rogue samurai kept us captive for awhile,” Kazuto added. “They made Big Sis do a lot of work and they did bad things to her.” I tried not to react to that. As far as I knew, he didn't know all the details of what happened during that time and I wanted it to stay that way.

“Eventually I managed to steal a pair of swords from them and escape with the twins,” I said, not allowing anyone the chance to say even a word about what Kazuto had just said. “The first chance I had, I traded the swords for a different pair from a man we met in Edo.” If I'd encountered the guy who I'd stolen the swords from, no doubt he would be pissed off if he recognized me. “After that I taught myself to fight.”

“And you started dressing like a boy around that time too,” Kazuto said, jumping in again. “You said that no one would take a female samurai seriously, but if they thought you were a boy, no one would bother you.”

As much as I loved the kid, he did tend to get on my nerves at times. “Kazuto,” I scolded the boy. “What have I told you about interrupting me when I'm talking to someone?”

The boy looked down at the floor. When he spoke, his voice was small and sad. “Don't ever interrupt an adult conversation unless it's something extremely important...”

The three men laughed. From what little I'd seen of them so far, the three seemed almost like big children themselves. Well, big children who can and have easily killed people.

They weren't trying to do anything now though, so I decided they could be trusted. “I don't believe I got your names,” I said kindly. Even if they seemed harmless now, it would be smart to avoid angering them. “I am Mitsuru.” I'd often used only my first name, so it seemed only simpler to do the same now.

The larger one was the first to introduce himself. “Shinpachi Nagakura.”

“I'm Heisuke Toudou,” the little one with the long ponytail said. Something told me that these names would be important, so I made a point to carve them into my memory.

“I'm Kazuto!” the child next to me said. Apparently my scoldings never seemed to stick with this one. I sighed and shook my head.

_Kazuto... Will you ever listen to anything I tell you?_


	7. The Chief's Offer

Outside of the man named Harada and his two friends, I didn't have any visitors. A fellow called Yamazaki would check in every so often, but only to confirm that I hadn't torn open my wounds and that they were healing properly. Luckily for me and the twins, I seemed to be healing perfectly. There might not have even been a scar by the time it was done. Assuming I rested as I was told to.

After having decide that I wasn't in danger, Kazuto had brought Yukina to me. She never left my side, while her twin brother often wandered off to help out around the Shinsengumi's headquarters. I didn't know what he was doing, but from what little I'd seen of the men of the Shinsengumi, I figured he would be safe on his own. If the three of us were staying here, it was only fair that at least one of us found a way to repay their kindness.

“This is where she is?” I heard an unfamiliar voice outside the door to the room I was resting in. Considering that he said 'she' I assumed this stranger meant me, so I very carefully sat myself up. I felt a slight pain as I put a bit of strain on my injuries, but with Yukina's help, I managed to sit up without causing anymore damage to my body.

The door slowly slide open, revealing a man who I guessed was at least a few years older than Harada and his immature friends, along with Kazuto. “You shouldn't be up, Sis,” he scolded me as he made his way to my side. But I just laughed a little and smiled. “You might hurt yourself again.”

“I'll be fine Kazuto.” I turned my gaze up towards the man who still stood in the doorway. “You're welcome to come in,” I said calmly. He seemed to be a sort of respectful type, or perhaps just shy about entering the room of a woman. The man hesitated before nodding and making his way over. “I don't believe we've met.”

Nodding, he politely introduced himself. “I am Isami Kondo, Chief of the Shinsengumi.” At the mention of the word 'chief' my body tensed slightly. So he was the guy in charge. So if he was here, then what was his reason? I doubted his job was an easy one, let alone one with much free time.

Chances were, he didn't want me to stay. I mean, why would someone as important as him stop by for just a little chat? “Once I've healed enough, I will leave.” My voice was calm and respectful. This was someone I did not want to upset in any way.

The man in front of me was surprised by my words. “I had no intention of making you leave,” he said, his face slightly tinted pink from embarrassment. Apparently I had misunderstood his intentions. But if that wasn't why he was here, then what did he want? “Harada mentioned a young woman who was quite skilled with a sword had been injured because of a... misunderstanding on his part. As the one in charge, it is my responsibility to make things right.”

He bowed in apology and I had no idea how to react. “It was a simple mistake made on both sides. And I did attack him after waking up here, so I would say that makes us even,” I said, trying to make it clear that he was not to blame. Besides, they were kind enough to treat my injuries. Injuries that they had created, but that wasn't important.

“Very well then.” Kondo sat straight up and flashed a gentle smile. “I had another reason for wanting to speak with you, as well.” Quietly, I listened to what he had to say. “Harada spoke highly of your skill and said that you claimed to be self-taught.”

I hadn't expected to hear that. Even less than I had expected the man who caused my injuries to praise my skill with a sword. Before I could speak though, Kazuto jumped into the conversation. “Sis had to learn to protect us. She didn't have time to search for someone to teach her.”

“Kazuto...” I sighed. I swear, my lectures never stuck with this kid.

Kondo, however, found Kazuto quite amusing. “He reminds me of Souji, when he was younger,” he laughed. “What I wanted to ask, was if you would be willing to become a member of the Shinsengumi.”

The man's offer was a tempting one. Joining the Shinsengumi probably wasn't easy to do on your own, and here I was, being asked to join. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't skeptical of the idea.

As far as I knew, I'd be the only female among a large number of men. Needless to say, that could cause a number of problems. Throw in Kazuto and Yukina and the problems double. Taking care of them was my responsibility, so they would have to come first. In the end, I couldn't give Kondo an answer.

I bowed my head politely. “Thank you, Kondo. I will consider your generous offer.”


	8. I'm Not A Child Anymore

_(Harada's POV)_

As I approached Mitsuru's room, I could hear voices coming from inside. “You should do it.” It was a young boy's voice, so I assumed it was Kazuto.

“Kazuto-”

“We're not little children anymore!” The boy interrupted Mitsuru before he even had a chance argue against what it was he wanted her to do. “You don't have to protect us.”

There was a sight before, Mitsuru started her argument. “Takeshi wouldn't want me to abandon you,” she said, he voice slightly raised. “What would I tell him if he came back and you weren't here?”

“Sis-”

“Kazuto, don't.” She sounded just like a mother scolding a naughty child. It was almost funny in a way. Only the fact that it seemed to be something serious kept me from laughing at the argument I was overhearing.

“I'm thirteen now; I can take care of Yukina and myself!”

“And I suppose you've become a master swordsman since my injury?” Mitsuru was almost yelling now. Kazuto may have been learning to fight from us captains, but he still had long ways to go. “You can't learn to defend yourself that quickly. How can you expect to protect her if you can't even protect yourself?”

Kazuto didn't answer. The door slide open and he came running out, pulling his twin sister along behind him. With a sigh, I entered the room to see Mitsuru with a very annoyed expression on her face.

“That was a bit harsh.” When I spoke, she turned towards me with a scowl of her face. It was actually sort of cute. “Don't you think you were a little too hard on him?”

“Kazuto knows that I was right; he just didn't want to hear it.” Considering I had no idea just what it was that the argument had been about, I was in no position to argue with her. “And just what do you think  _you_ were doing listening to a private conversation?”

Her voice was harsh, just like it had been when she'd been yelling at Kazuto. And I saw just a fraction of that fire in her eyes that she'd had when we'd first met. “I was only passing by and thought I'd pay you a visit,” I said calmly, trying not to irritate her any further. The last thing we needed was for her to get mad and tear open her wounds a second time. Not after she'd been healing so well. “But I thought it would be rude to interrupt a woman lecturing a child.”

Mitsuru stared at me quietly a moment, the scowl never leaving her face. What was she thinking right now? It clearly wasn't something good, but it didn't seem like it was that bad either. My question was soon answer when she finally spoke. “You're one of those types, aren't you?”


	9. You're Pissing Me Off

_(Mitsuru's POV)_

“One of what types?”

Was he really that stupid? Or was he just playing dumb? Regardless, I explained what I'd meant. “Those handsome men who always tell a woman what they think she wants to hear and I'll bet you fool around with a lot of women.”

As expected, he focused on the one part of it that wasn't bad. “I'm handsome?”

“Don't change the subject,” I growled, my anger slowly growing. Arguing with Kazuto about joining the Shinsengumi had irritated me, but now Harada was really beginning to annoy me.

Harada's face stayed fairly calm, which only added to my irritation. “I'm not like that. Shinpachi maybe, but not me.”

“Oh really?” An attractive man like him  _didn't_ fool around? Yeah right. And I suppose that birds don't fly either, right? Wait a minute, did I just admit that he was attractive?

“I'm just an honest guy,” Harada said with a shrug. “If you don't believe me, then ask Chizuru.”

“Ask me what?”

While I'd been busy with my discussion, a young woman dressed as a boy had entered the room. Until now, I'd never seen her.

“You, your name is Chizuru?” I asked and she nodded. “Help me up.” Chizuru nodded once more and quickly moved to my side. Putting an arm around my side, she helped me up.

“You know, you're not supposed to be up moving around,” Harada scolded in a playful tone. “Might reopen your wounds again.”

“Yeah, well, you're pissing me off.”

At my words, he faked a shocked expression. “Those are some nasty words coming from a little girl.”

That did it. My eyes quickly scanned the room. “Where's my sword?”

“You mean this?” At the sound of his voice, I glanced up at Harada. In his hand was what I'd been looking for.

“Give me that,” I demanded, holding my hand out for it.

But much to my annoyance, he shook his head. “I don't think I should.” I tried to reach for the sword, to take it from him forcefully, but he just held it out of reach. “You might try to stab me again.”

I wouldn't admit it, but that actually had been what I wanted to do right now. I mean, he had been the reason I'd gotten injured in the first place. Not to mention he seemed to have a talent for pissing me off.

Ignoring all the protesting that my healing body was doing, I lunged at him. If he wouldn't cooperate willingly, then I'd just force him. “That wasn't a request!”


	10. Eyes Of Fire (Part 1)

I reached for my sword that was currently in Harada's grasp. As soon as I got close, he'd pulled it away. It was very irritating. No, irritating was an understatement.

“Damn it!” I growled at Harada. No matter how much I tried, me trying to overpower him was like a mouse trying to take down a cat. “Give me that!”

Again and again I tried to get my sword back. But it seemed like there was nothing I could do. That only made me angrier and more fired up. Considering that I was still healing from my first fight with him, wrestling with Harada right now was a terrible idea.

With one last attempt, I leaped at him with as much strength as I could. As I was reaching for the sword held just out of reach, I was unable to catch myself when I stumbled slightly. Between me crashing into him and him trying to keep my sword out of my hands, neither of us were able to keep our balance and collided with the floor. Lucky for me and my still injured body, my fall was cushioned by Harada's body.

This was the first time in a long time I'd physically been this close to someone outside of battle. Had I not still been extremely pissed off, I  _might_ have blushed. Despite my toughness and pretending to be a guy, I was still a woman. And as a woman, I have feelings.

And right at this second, those feelings were pissed off. Not wanting to be around him a second more, I snatched my sword out of his hands and stormed off.


	11. Eyes Of Fire (Part 2)

_(Kazuto's POV)_

As I was finally calming down from my argument with Sis, I saw her and Harada come crashing to the floor. She then got up and look madder than I'd seen her in a long time. Snatching up her sword, she stormed off.

“You really shouldn't make her mad. Might ruin your chances with her,” I heard Harada's friend scolding him as he help the red-headed man up. But despite his scolding, Shinpachi looked pretty amused at the situation. “Sano? You listening?”

“Hmm?” Harada had a distracted look in his eyes, staring in the direction Sis had left in. He really hadn't been paying attention to a single word his friend had said.

Shinpachi seemed annoyed by it, but just shrugged it off. Maybe this was normal. “What's with you?”

“Did you see that look in her eyes?” And still not paying attention to what his friend was saying. It kinda remind me of little kids. Well, littler kids. According to Sis, I still counted as a kid too.

Shinpachi sighed. Must have realized he wasn't getting anywhere and gave up. “The one that said she was seriously pissed off?” he asked, crossing his arms across his chest.

“Not quite.” Harada kept staring off into the distance. What's wrong with this guy? It's not like he really knows her or anything, so why is staring like that? If anything he's still an enemy, and it's my job to protect Sis from men like him. “She had that look the first time we fought. Eyes like blue fire.”

“Yeah, that's because you pissed her off.”

“I've never seen eyes like that before...” Harada spoke with a strange tone in his voice.

For just a moment, an image of my older brother and Mitsuru had come to mind. Takeshi had used a similar voice whenever he spoke about her, so what did that mean about Harada? Did he care for her the same way Takeshi did? The thought of it made my blood feel hot.

There was no way I'd let him have Sis. _Big Sis belongs with Takeshi, not you._

  
[« Previous](http://www.quotev.com/story/6324090/Something-To-Protect-Hakuouki-Story/11)  
A Fire In His Eyes  
The Day The Village Burned  
The Man With The Spear  
Escape & Rescue  
Straightening Things Out  
Their Past  
The Chief's Offer  
I'm Not A Child Anymore  
You're Pissing Me Off  
Eyes Of Fire (Part 1)  
Eyes Of Fire (Part 2)  


 


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